Queen of Hearts
by ecrivaisseur
Summary: The unseen moments between Cora, the Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook in the flashback events of "Queen of Hearts." Killian is sent to kill the Evil Queen's mother, Cora, who rules Wonderland as The Queen of Hearts, though he fails and is turned by Cora. Canon to show.
1. Cora's Wonderland

Chapter One 

Cora's Wonderland

" _But mother, I don't want to be you…" she said, turning towards you with a sudden rage. You restrained her with magic, but that didn't stop the fury in her eyes. What is she doing you thought? You quickly recomposed, telling her you weren't that easy to get rid of... but she broke through and with a cry of terror flung you into the looking glass. You grasped the edges of the mirror as it pulled you through, taking one last look at your beautiful daughter... Regina..._

* * *

Cora awoke from her slumber, remembering everything. It was not a dream, but a memory. It was the last time she had seen her daughter, the day before her wedding to the king. Though she regretted how they parted, she felt no remorse. She had made her daughter queen, taught her to be a lady. Given her the regal and royal upbringing she herself had not had. She should have been grateful.

Perhaps this was all because of Daniel... All those years she had spent training her daughter to be a lady at the House and Stables, all the lessons and practices given... and she wanted to leave it all for a stable boy? Cora had gotten them too far in life to allow that, gotten herself too far in life to allow her daughter, on the epitome of success, to throw it all away for one of the servants. She regretted nothing.

Despite it all, she still missed her daughter. She still loved Regina, well, as close as anyone can come to loving without a heart. "Love is weakness," she always said, but she couldn't help but feel an affection for her daughter, even after all these years in Wonderland.

It was early, well, as early as Cora could tell. In Wonderland, time was a bit... off. Since some days lasted longer than others, it was often difficult to keep track of time. To help her keep the time, she had a large grandfather clock at the side of her bedroom, a treasure of her marriage to Prince Henry. It was entirely of solid gold, having been commissioned by Prince Xavier himself ( _the old kook_ , Cora thought).

Cora always rose early, a habit she had learned as a young child. As the daughter of a poor miller, she had to get up early every morning to deliver flour to the castle, her only means of food. Her father was usually passed out drunk somewhere, and her mother had died in childbirth. Not long after her marriage to Prince Henry, she had ordered her father's mill burned to the ground.

Rising out from underneath the red satin covers of her bed, she glided across the stone floors of her bedroom and rang for the Knave. The Knave of Hearts was a stout man, who acted as Cora's official speaker while in court. He was the only man allowed to see Cora without a mask, although he himself didn't even know her name. Cora insisted that her subjects address her instead as the Queen of Hearts.

There was a soft knock on the door as the Knave entered. He himself was already dressed in his official court attire, carrying with him his heart scepter. Cora could hear the small pat of his shoes as he entered her bedroom.

"Your majesty, you rang," spoke the Knave.

"Knave, I am ready to dress, fetch my corset."

"Yes your majesty."

Ever eager to please his queen, he hurriedly scuffled to the Queen of Heart's wardrobe room, which was located nearby off her bedroom. He returned, carrying with him her corset and a pair of black stockings.

"Will this do your highness?" He asked.

"Yes it will Knave," she coolly responded.

Knot by knot, the Knave helped her into her corset. Row by row, he tied it together. He could smell the sweet aroma of her perfume... roses. The Knave closed his eyes in devouring pleasure. As he reached the top, he bent down and gently kissed the side of her neck. She titled her head, allowing him to continue.

Cora was an exceptional beauty, especially for her age. Even behind the guise of her masks, she could be incredibly alluring. That, combined with her almost flirtatious attitude, led to the desire of most men in her court to wish she ripped their hearts out, something she had pretty much already done. She reveled at having so many men at the tip of her fingers, answering her every beck and call. One day she would get back to her daughter, however. These men, her court, they were only temporary. Once they had served their purpose, once she found a way to get back to her daughter, she would no longer have any need for them.

The Knave continued to kiss her neck. She never allowed it to go any farther than that, for any of her men. These little kisses and such weren't necessary to maintain the will, and affection, of the men in her court. They were simply just entertainment to Cora. They would serve her faithfully, and dutifully, whether she appeased their attractions or not. Cora was too irresistible not to. And besides, she controlled all of their hearts anyway.

Once the Knave had finished tying her corset, Cora dismissed him.

"That will be all, Knave." She turned away suddenly, brushing her fingers through her hair. Cora always addressed her servants by the title of their duty.

"Of course, your majesty," the Knave bowed, turned, and walked out, the tail of his red coat flying behind him. Cora could hear the small pats of his feet against the stone floors as he walked through the halls.

With a twirl of her hand, a cloud of purple smoke encircled the queen, disappearing as quickly as it came. She emerged wearing a formal red, white and black gown, with a white collar and cuffs, red silk gloves and slippers. Her dark red hair was coiffed in her usual bun, with a single curl of hair dangling to the side. The bright shade of red decorating her lips nicely contrasted with her porcelain skin.

Walking over to a nearby table, she lifted up to her head one of her most prized possessions: the Queen of Hearts tiara, composed entirely of diamonds. At the center of the tiara's arches, stood a single ruby, cut in the shape of a heart. This task could have easily been performed using magic, though Cora enjoyed it. It was, in a way, a self-coronation of power, something she had always longed for, ever since she was young girl. She examined herself in the mirror. She made a magnificent queen; a beautiful queen; a regal queen. She was the perfect queen. Donning one of her masks, she made her way out of bedroom and down to her court.

* * *

Cora sat ensconced on her golden throne, underneath a white canopy and placed on a dais in the center of the courtyard, which united the three wings of her palace. On either side was a set of white banners, each depicting a single red heart. Raised to her face, Cora held her mask, separating her from her people. Before her stood her court.

The Queen of Heart's court was made up of ten subjects, each given a title from a suit of hearts in cards: the Ten of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Eight of Hearts... etc, with the final one being the Ace of Hearts. Cora had ripped each of their hearts out long ago, as she had also done with the Knave of Hearts and all her guards, known as "Heartsmen," who were also present. She kept all their hearts nicely filed in a white vault at the center of her rose maze, separate from her other collection of hearts, which she kept in a hidden room inside her palace.

Since she herself wore a mask, Cora insisted that all the subjects in her court also where masks. She rarely spoke to them directly, speaking instead through a long tube to the Knave, who spoke to them on her stead. This, multiplied with her mask and the disguise of her real name, added a bit of mystery to the Queen of Hearts from her subjects. Cora, again, reveled at her mysterious air, using it to her advantage.

They were all summoned there because the Knave had caught a prisoner for his queen. One of the heartsmen had found a stranger trespassing in the queen's maze of roses, dragging a dead body along with him. The Knave, ever eager to please the queen, had insisted he personally deliver the prisoner to the queen's court. And now, Cora could see the Knave marching triumphantly past the gates to her palace with an army of guards, dragging the prisoner, and the dead body, along behind them.


	2. The Assassin Sent

Chapter Two

The Assassin Sent

 _"Bring back her body to me... my mother, Cora... don't worry, she will find you... two go through the portal, two must return... I have enchanted your hook to be able to rip her heart out, though the enchantment only works once... do this and you can kill Rumplestiltskin..."_

* * *

These words rang through Killian's mind as he entered through the portal into Wonderland, dragging behind him the body she had sent with him. The Evil Queen, Regina, had commissioned him to kill her mother and bring back her body to the Enchanted Forrest. In exchange, she would bring him along with her once she cast her curse, which would send everyone in the Enchanted Forrest to a new land, a land without magic. Once there, he would finally be able to kill his sworn enemy, the man who murdered his one true love, Milah, the wizard Rumplestiltskin. Since there would be no magic there, Rumplestiltskin would be powerless against him.

"I'll finally be able to kill that crocodile..." He murmured to himself.

Since the portal demanded that the same number of people who travel through, also return, he had brought the dead body of one of the queen's guards, which he would leave in Wonderland, bringing back Cora's body in its place. Conveniently, the portal had opened onto a small path that lead through the tall marshes of grass that were very frequent in Wonderland.

 _Wonderland is a very strange place_ , he thought, as he dragged the lifeless body along the path. The tall marshes of grass, large mushrooms aplenty, leaning trees and mountains and floating islands in the sky were all very different to the Captain, even after spending all that time in Neverland. The creatures here were especially strange. Farther ahead along the path, Killian could see a large blue caterpillar on a mushroom puffing out rings of smoke. And farther back he had seen a small rabbit clutching a pocket watch run by. Killian could not wait to get out of this land.

" _She'll find you..._ " Regina had told him, but how? This land was very large, and very strange, how could a single woman find him in all of this? Regina had not told him much about her mother, though to be the mother of the Evil Queen, she must be pretty powerful, and evil, if her daughter wanted her dead.

Up ahead, Killian could see a large, green hedge. At the center of the hedge, was an arch, with a regal heart painted red at the top. _This must be the entrance to the hedge_ , Hook thought, still dragging the body behind him, maybe Cora is in here?

Entering through the hedge, he instantly got lost.

"This must be a maze..." he spoke to himself. Instead of trying to figure his way out, Killian decided to cut through the hedges with his hook. As he began cutting through the leaves, he was grabbed from behind by a rather superior looking guard, with a large heart painted on his armor. Beside the guard stood two other guards of the same armor.

"Notify the Knave that we have found a trespasser in the Queen of Heart's maze," the guard ordered to another.

"And what's this?" the other guard asked, reaching for the dead body Killian had been dragging along with him.

"Oh, just a friend of mine..." The captain retorted.

"Notify the Knave we have found _two_ trespassers in the Queen of Heart's maze," the guard ordered again.

 _Perhaps this Queen of Hearts will know where Cora is?_ , Hook thought to himself...

* * *

A few minutes later, the Knave of Hearts arrived. He was a stout man, clad in red robes and wearing a rather stuffy red hat, in the shape of the top half of a heart. With him he clutched a wand-like scepter, golden, which clashed nicely with the abundant amount of red. His pointed nose was stuck high up in the air. The Knave stopped in front of Killian, examined him, and then took a look at the dead body. With a clap of his hands he shouted:

"Heartsmen, take them to the Queen!"


	3. In The Queen's Court

Chapter Three

In The Queen's Court

Cora watched as the Knave and the Heartsmen dragged Killian and the body across the bridge, which extended into her court across a large cellar. The prisoner was a young man, perhaps in his early thirties. He was handsome, with jet-black hair. He was most certainly a pirate, which was obvious from his attire. Oddly, he only had one hand, his other arm projecting a silver hook in its place. This man did not look like he came from any part of Wonderland.

As the Knave reached the end of the bridge, the heartsmen threw Killian down on his knees.

"Kneel, before the Queen of Hearts!" the Knave ordered, bowing himself.

"Pleased to say a warm welcome!" Killian uttered.

The Queen of Hearts appeared greatly mysterious to Killian. Raised to her face, she clutched a large white and red mask, formed in the shape of a heart. Even from behind her mask, he could tell she looked down on him from her gilded throne. The people lined to each side of her, her court, looked equally mysterious.

The Knave hurriedly rushed to the side of the Queen of Hearts. With her hand simply raised, the Knave reached for a long tube, which she grabbed from him. This was the tube she spoke to the Knave through. From behind her mask, she whispered:

"Why has he come to Wonderland?"

Hearing the order, the Knave quickly announced to Killian: "The Queen wants to know why you've come to Wonderland!"

Seeing his chance to ask about his target, Killian announced from underneath the grasps of the heartsmen:

"I'm in search of someone... in her native land, she goes by _Cora_.'"

"Cora... who's Cora?" The Queen's subjects whispered to each other.

 _Who is this man_? Cora thought. _How dare he reveal my name_! Stunned, she quickly regained composure.

"In this land, she goes by _Your Majesty_!" Cora announced in her fury, throwing her mask down.

Surprised, Killian offered a smirk, the grasp on his shoulders loosening as the guards, as well as the queen's subjects, stood in shock at having finally learned their queen's real name.

"Leave us!" Cora ordered, dismissing her court. Quickly, fearing her wrath, they dispersed into her palace, lest she crush each of their hearts publicly. Cora already swelled with anger towards this foreign pirate. With her power, she could have easily killed the man then and there. But perhaps she could use this man to her advantage. The Knave told her he had traveled through a portal, the same one used by the Mad Hatter. This man, who clearly was from her land, could perhaps be the way she finally returns to her daughter. But first, she must find out why he is here.

"Your name pirate?" She ordered.

"Hook," Killian said, offering his nickname.

"What a clever nickname."

With that, Hook stood up off his knees. Reaching into his pocket with his hook, he pulled out a pearl necklace. Walking towards the standing queen, he offered it to her:

"I come bearing gifts... if you'll allow me?" He said walking towards her.

"This 'hat'... your portal... if I understand correctly, the same number who travel through, must also return?" She said, walking towards Hook. "You arrived with him," she said, pointing to the dead body still lying outstretched on the bridge, "but whom shall you return with?"

They now stood face to face. She looked at him demanding an answer. Throwing back the pearls behind him, Hook boldly retorted:

"You!"

And as sudden as he said it, Killian shoved his hook through Cora's dress and into her chest. She smiled, as if she enjoyed it. It had been quite sometime since someone had done that to her. With a puzzled look, Killian pulled his hook out, empty.

"What..." he whimpered.

Cora leaned back in laughter: "I'm the Queen of _Hearts_! Do you really think I'd be so careless as to keep my heart where everyone else does?" She scoffed, "This..." shoving her gloved hand into his chest, and pulling him closer to her, "Is how it's done."

Hook shouted out in pain.

As her grip on his heart tightened, she questioned him: "Tell me, who did this? Who sent you here to kill me? Who?" She demanded.

With the pain on his heart increasing he managed to let out two words, and with a smirk he said:

" _Your daughter_."

Cora fell back in shock, her grip loosening on his heart. "Regina... she... she wants me dead?" She asked herself. Regina was a stubborn, strong young lady, but Cora had never expected her daughter would have the guts to order her death.

Suddenly, her grip on Hook's heart tightened harder. Again, Hook shouted out at the severe pain. Looking him directly in the eyes, Cora demanded: "You are now going to tell me everything! And do exactly what I want! Because when you hold a heart..." she paused, forcing her red nails deeper into his heart, causing him more even more pain, "You control it."

Killian could see the fire burning in her eyes as the evil smile now on her face widened. She seemed to get an inexplicable pleasure of ripping people's hearts out. The rush she felt every time she reached in and pulled a heart out, the shock and surprise on their faces as she took control of them, the excitement that ran through her when she crushed a heart into dust... it was all like a drug to her.

"Why does Regina want me dead?" Cora demanded.

"She is casting a curse that will sweep everyone from the Enchanted Forrest... to..." the pain caused by her stopped him, "... to a land where there is no magic... and she didn't want you following her there," Hook explained.

Cora was very familiar with this curse. Rumplestiltskin himself had created it. It had been the reason he had taught her how to spin gold all those years ago. In exchange, he wanted her firstborn child, who would turn out to be Regina, whom he would need to cast the curse, in the future. Since she had gotten him to change the contract to her firstborn child with him, which never happened, she had always assumed that he would just find someone else. As it turns out he had gotten Regina after all.

"What would you get in return for this?" She once again demanded.

"To kill my sworn enemy, the 'crocodile' Rumplestiltskin..."

This is perfect, Cora thought to herself. She can use this pirate to get out of here and then she can kill Regina. With Regina gone, she can manipulate Hook into obtaining the Dark One's dagger. Once she has that, she can control Rumplestiltskin into doing her bidding. This will work out nicely. But first, she wasn't done torturing him.

"There! I have told you everything! Now have some honor and just kill me!" Hook shouted at her in plea.

"Honor? For the pirate who snuck into my palace, to assassinate me!" Cora laughed out at him.

"At your daughter's behest" Hook whimpered.

"She should have come. She should have killed me _herself_..." Cora shouted at him.

With that, Cora crushed on his heart tighter than ever before, digging her nails even deeper. Hook screamed out in extreme terror. The pain rushed through his body like daggers jabbing at him everywhere. Death was near, as his sight slowly began to fade. With life rushing out of him, he could feel Cora's breath against his face. She was now so close to him, their lips could almost touch. Whatever sight he had left he directed on her. Even in what he thought to be his last thoughts, he felt an attraction towards the aged beauty. Her fascinating deep brown eyes, her voluminous bright red lips, her thick, beautiful dark red hair. He couldn't help but feel an urge to kiss her, even as she caused him more pain than he had ever felt. Cora had that effect on people. She made them want her to kill them. Life almost entirely gone, Hook closed his eyes.

Cora released her grasp on Hook's heart, pulled her gloved hand out, wiped some blood off, and walked back to her throne. He fell back and suddenly found himself on the ground gasping for air and clasping his chest. He was almost certain she was going to kill him. This beautiful queen was full of surprises.

Picking up her mask, Cora sat down on her throne, brushing back a loose curl of her hair. Looking up at her, Hook managed to say between gasps of breath:

"Mercy seems a bit out of character..."

Cora laughed. "Oh not mercy Hook, you're going to help me," with a malicious smile, she continued, "Regina knows my methods better than anyone, if I was controlling you she would know. This has to be your choice," she said, outstretching her hand towards him.

Suspicious, Hook retorted, "Why should I?"

Again, Cora laughed.

"Because my dear, I am the only one who can give you what you want."

Having recovered from his near death experience, Hook now smiled. Things were starting to turn around for him. A powerful sorceress such as Cora would be of great use in helping to kill Rumplestiltskin, and by the supreme power and control she held over her court, she was just that.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"This 'new land' my daughter is taking everyone to..." she explained, "You won't remember who you are, so tell me Captain, how do expect to kill someone, if you can't even remember them?" Cora offered with a smile. Again, she laughed. She acted as if he had already agreed to help her. In a way, he already had. No one ever told Cora 'no.'

"But if you help me," she went on further, "I'll not only make sure you kill him, but that you remember every single moment of it."

With the deal practically sealed, Hook decided to find out what exactly he would be doing for the queen: "And what shall you have me do?" he asked.

This time she refrained from laughing. She glanced down at her mask, still clutched it in her hands, as if thinking back to a distant memory. Moving her head up, she looked at him straight in the eyes and, offering him a smile, calmly responded:

"Get me close to my daughter..." Another pause, still looking straight at Killian, "And then... I'll rip her heart out."

Hook's eyes widened as the words reached him, the Queen still looking at him, as if expecting a reaction. How cold could this woman be, he wondered to himself.


	4. Preparing For Departure

Chapter Four

Preparing For Departure

Back in Cora's palace, they discussed what they were going to do. The plan was simple both Hook and Cora agreed. Hook would take Cora back with him through the looking glass, to the Enchanted Forrest, and present her body to Regina. Using a masking spell, Cora would appear to be dead. Then, when she was finally close to her daughter, she would stab her hand into Regina's chest, rip her heart out and crush it, killing her. From there, they would decide on how to proceed with Rumplestiltskin.

"Well aren't you a loving mother..." Hook spoke to the queen. She was not amused:

"Regina has betrayed me, Captain, by sending you here to kill me. She has betrayed us both..." she retorted with no emotion.

Cora was leading Hook down a long, stone hallway, underneath the bearings of her palace. The hall was lit with a procession of torches, each lighting as Cora walked past it. She walked with determination, seemingly showing no concern for the curious Hook following her.

At the end of the hallway, they entered into a vast, tall room, the walls of which were lined with small chests. At the center of the room was a large pit, with a roaring fire providing light in the room. Cora walked over to one of the chests, opened it, and pulled out a cold, empty object. Whispering something into it, the object suddenly turned bright red and started beating. With that, one after another, all the other chests in the room lighted up, turning bright red, and they, too, started beating. _They were hearts_.

"Welcome to my heart collection, Hook," Cora announced to the wide-eyed pirate.

"Whoa..." He uttered.

In these chests, laid the people of Wonderland, or at least a majority of them. The subjects of the Queen of Heart's court, well actually their hearts, were nicely contained in the vault at the center of her maze. These hearts here, they belonged to everyone else, all of Cora's other victims. Here they lay.

Walking over to the pit of fire, she outstretched her hands, soaking up the heat. With a twirl of her hand, the fire disappeared. Turning towards Hook, she spoke:

"You see, Captain, that fire was not real. It looked real, it certainly felt real, but it wasn't. It was an allusion. That is what magic is capable of, what it can do. You see all these hearts lined up here, the hearts of all my unsuspecting subjects, the ones who serve me so faithfully... I did this. I took their hearts out, one by one. That is how powerful I am, Captain. I want you to keep that in mind."

With another twirl of her hand, the stone beneath the previous fire disappeared. Reaching her hand in, she pulled out a bejeweled box. Holding the box in both hands, she stared down at it.

"And whose heart is in that box?" Hook asked.

" _Mine,_ " she said bluntly, "it's been in there quite sometime."

Hook raised his brow at this. In the brief time he had known this woman, he had learned to never underestimate her. This came as neither a surprise, nor a shock to Hook.

"I wanted you to see this, all of this, so that I can show you that I have no weaknesses. I will do whatever it takes to achieve what I want. Again, I want you to keep that in mind," Cora told him.

Turning she proceeded to walk out of the room and back into the hallway, still clutching the box. Hook followed.

"Come," she said to him, "we must prepare for our departure."

"Of course my queen," Hook replied.

"We will set up base on your ship, The Jolly Roger... where is it now?" she asked him.

"She is docked on a port near the edge of the Enchanted Forrest, away from Regina's palace," Hook explained, thinking fondly back of his beloved ship.

"Good, we will proceed from there once I kill Regina."

* * *

They had been walking for a few moments when they reached the circular steps that led back up into the Queen of Heart's palace. The steps were hidden from others behind a fireplace, with one of Cora's spells. The steps only revealed themselves at Cora's command.

Now in the marble-tiled great hall of her palace, Cora and Hook hurriedly rushed up the grand staircase, two of them, which together form one giant heart. Lining the walls and staircases were heartsmen, who seemed to not even notice they were there. With her, Cora still held her bejeweled box.

Within a few moments they were in Cora's bedroom. She gently set the box down on her bedside. With a twirl of her hand, she changed out of her red Queen of Hearts gown and into a much subtler dark gray gown with a black shawl held together by a gemstone brooch covering it. Still gracing her bun was her tiara.

"My daughter is foolish to think that a weak pirate such as yourself could kill me..." She said to Hook, walking into her wardrobe room nearby. He said nothing, choosing to look down to the floor instead, waiting patiently seated on her bed.

Cora's wardrobe room was large, much larger than the one she had had at the House and Stables. Lining the walls was the collection of prestigious gowns Cora had amassed during her tenure as the Queen of Hearts. She walked over to a small table at the center of the room; on which laid several pieces of jewelry. Perusing through the gemstones, she picked up a golden locket that was lying there. With a click, it opened, revealing a picture of a younger Regina on one side, and a picture of herself on the other.

"You betrayed me, my child," she whispered to herself, "after everything I did for you, you betrayed me." She set the locket back down on the table.

Twirling her hand, the puff of purple smoke appeared again. The gowns and jewelry were swept up and filed into a series of several large red trunks. Another twirl of her hand, and the trunks were moved to her bedroom. Hook still sat, waiting patiently on Cora's bed. He looked around at the queen's bedroom. The stone floors were gray, though that was about the only thing in the room that wasn't red: the red curtains, red rugs, red furniture, red tapestries, red bed covers. Turning, he took a closer look at her bed. The wooden oak bed frame was carved into the shape of a heart. Notched into the center was a crown.

Back in her bedroom, Cora walked past the curious Hook and to a large wooden cabinet. Opening it, she pulled out a small chest, which she unlatched and looked inside of. The chest contained her potions, all nicely labeled according to their ingredients. Having assured everything was there; she latched it back, and set it atop her trunks.

"Will the entire palace be coming with us, my queen?" Hook sarcastically asked.

She turned to him:

"I don't plan on coming back to Wonderland, captain, so I must assure that everything I need makes it with us."

Twirling her hand, the trunks, chest and Cora's heart box disappeared. They now sat in the cabin aboard the Jolly Roger, back in the Enchanted Forrest, awaiting their mistress's arrival.

"My things are now on your ship, captain," she spoke to him.

"Wonderful mate! Now should we make our way back to the Enchanted Forrest?"

"Why yes, _of course_."

As they proceeded through the door, exiting her bedroom, Cora turned around and took a last look at her room. Twirling her finger, a cloud of purple smoke encircled King Xavier's golden clock. Disappearing, it now waited for her along with all of her other belongings aboard the Jolly Roger. Smiling, she turned around once more, closed the door behind her, and continued with Hook along the hall.


	5. Through The Looking Glass They Went

Chapter Five

Through The Looking Glass They Went

Hook and Cora made their way through the halls of the palace, and out to the courtyard. Cora's throne and white canopy still stood, with the heart banners still flying. Heartsmen still stood by, guarding. The Knave was nearby, talking with one of the guards.

Again, Cora walked with determination across her court and to the bridge. Hook followed along, inquisitively looking around at the guards, wondering as to why they weren't concerned where their queen was going.

"Is there a reason why your guards aren't asking where you are going?" He asked the queen.

"They have no hearts, captain, they only see what I want them to see, only do what I want them to do. Unless I say otherwise, they are to guard the palace," she responded, as if the answer were obvious. Not even the Knave himself even bothered to look as the queen passed by, knowing that if he differed from her orders, he might just get his head cut off. And besides, he would never want to displease his queen.

As the queen reached the end of the drawbridge and to the royal gates leading to her court, she turned around, taking one last look at her palace. She had become a queen in this land, Wonderland, something she would have never been able to do in the Enchanted Forrest. In a way, she was grateful towards her daughter for that, for sending her through the looking glass. But, then again, she had never really liked it here. However, despite leaving her palace, leaving Wonderland, she would be forever known as the Queen of Hearts.

With that, the heartsmen lining the edges of the courtyard across the bridge knelt down to their queen, a procession that was always done for the queen when she left the palace. The banners were raised, and her court subjects appeared, kneeling in front of her throne. Even the Knave of Hearts knelt at the foot of the bridge. Little did any of them realize this would be the final time they would see their Queen of Hearts. Smiling, Cora turned, and, with a dazed Hook, walked along the path to the looking glass, to leave Wonderland for good.

She knew full well that she would always be the queen of their hearts.

* * *

They continued walking the path, which lead directly through Wonderland. They passed her maze, with two heartsmen posted at the entryway on guard. Cora could hear the loud pounding of her collection of hearts, which lay, inside her vault at the center of the maze. Since it was their hearts that were pounding, the guards were oblivious to the noise.

They passed the fat blue caterpillar, still smoking and puffing his rings of smoke. The creature bowed as the queen passed by.

"Will you not miss all of your people's respect and loyalty towards you my queen?" Hook asked as they walked along.

"I command respect and loyalty wherever I go, captain, surely you know that by now," she responded, not paying much attention to him. She seemed focused on one thing, and one thing only: leaving Wonderland. After all those years rotting here in Wonderland, after all those years of searching for a way back, and she had finally found it. Now she would finally get back to her daughter, and this time, she would kill her.

Cora continued to brisk along the path, with Hook following behind, trying to keep up with her. For someone her age, she was exceptionally quick, especially considering she not once looked to the ground to watch where she was going, her head remaining held high, her nose tipped to the sky. Her cape flapped against the wind, as her grey shoes patted against the ground. She was certainly something else.

They had finally reached the looking glass. Stopping directly ahead of it, she turned to him: "This is where we stop, Captain," she said, pulling a purple bottle out from underneath her shawl, "When I drink this, it will appear as if I have stopped breathing," pulling the cork out, she prepared to drink it, "then you will carry me through as if I was dead, and once I am with Regina, I will kill her."

She drank the potion as Hook swept her up into his arms, closing her eyes and leaning her head back in mock death. And through the looking glass they went...


	6. Goodbye Mother

Chapter Six

Goodbye Mother

"Here you are your majesty, I present to you, mother Cora," Hook said, extending Cora's body to Regina.

Turning her head, the Evil Queen shouted sternly: "Guards! Take my mother's body to her casket."

Two mighty looking guards in black appeared, relieved Hook of his carry, and brought her body into a nearby circular room, placing her in a stone casket. Regina and Hook followed behind, Regina carrying a red rose in her hand. She walked with somber.

"You forgot to mention to me that your mother was the Queen of Hearts..." Hook sniffed.

"Must have slipped my mind," Regina retorted, with a hint of regret in her voice. She looked sad, equally imperious, but sad. The jewels lining her gown clicked as she walked.

Entering the room, she walked straight to the stone tomb where her mother's body lay. It was a circular room, with a large white dome as a ceiling. The marble floors featured an ornate pattern in black and white. Lining the walls were more caskets, presumably filled with bodies ( _Or hearts..._ Hook thought to himself, _Mother and daughter are quite alike_ ). Deciding to get along with this, Hook spoke:

"Satisfied?" he asked.

"Did she put up a fight?" Regina responded.

"Nothing I couldn't handle..."

"Thank you. Now leave us, I would like a moment alone to say goodbye..." She glared at him. Not wanting to seek her wrath, he turned around and exited the room, shutting the stone doors behind him.

Regina turned and stared at her mother's body for a moment. Placing her gloved hands on the edges of the casket, she spoke.

"I am sorry, Mother," she said, bending towards her, "Without you, I would never have become the person I am today."Cora tightened her fist from underneath her cloak, preparing to rip her daughter's heart out. Regina continued to speak.

"But I had no choice she said," she looked at her mother as if she had been the one who killed her, "I had to do this..." With that, Cora was ready to kill her daughter when she was suddenly stopped, by what her daughter said next.

"After you killed Daniel, you told me something..." she cleared her throat, "Love is weakness," She paused, fighting back tears. Continuing, she said, "Well mother you are my weakness..." she stopped, pushing back tears, "because I love you." Cora could feel her daughter's tears drop against her, "And for what I need to do, I can have no weakness." This changed everything, Cora thought. Her daughter loved her, and had heeded her words all those years ago. Regina continued:

"That's why I couldn't bring you to the new land, mother, your grip on my heart is just too strong."

She laid the red rose against her mother's chest.

Resting her hand on Cora's shoulder, she pitifully smiled and lastly whimpered:

"Goodbye mother."

With that she turned, walked out of the room and, taking once last look at her mother's tomb, closed the doors behind her. As he doors closed, Cora wrapped her fingers around the rose from underneath her cloak.

Hook hurriedly rushed in, and offered his hand, motioning to help Cora up.

"What happened? You didn't kill her..."he said.

"The plan has changed... my daughter's curse is coming," she replied, looking up at him, "We need to protect ourselves." She rose, swung her legs out, and slid from the tomb.

"First we need to get out of this castle." Hook said, looking around. Twirling her hand, Cora and Hook were suddenly encircled by her purple smoke, transporting them to his ship, the Jolly Roger.

* * *

Hook rushed to wheel of his ship as Cora followed.

"There are a series of small island at the edge of the Enchanted Forrest, we can take refuge there," she told him, motioning towards their direction.

"But won't the curse sweep everyone from the Enchanted Forrest?"

"I have a scepter which can cast a protection barrier over the islands, protecting us and anyone else there from the curse..." she said.

"Well doesn't this just fit nicely then, mate?" Hook responded, guiding his ship at the wheel. She ignored him, glazing across the waters instead, the wind blowing the loose curl of her hair at her side about.

She continued to hold the rose Regina gave her. She had been caught off-guard by what her daughter said... " _You are my weakness... because I love you_." Now, she would truly be able to reunite with her daughter. Regina didn't need her now, no, but in 28 years, when the curse is broken, her daughter would need her. Then, that's when she can return to her daughter. One way or another, they will be reunited.


	7. A Cursed Arrival

Chapter Seven

A Cursed Arrival

Within an hour of their departure, they had arrived at one of the islands that Cora had said. Hook swerved the wheel of the ship gently in his hands as he pulled the Jolly Roger along the shore of the island and docked the ship.

As she stepped down from the wheel of the ship and onto the deck, Cora could see the billows of purple clouds forming along the horizon, moving towards them. Regina's curse was coming, _quickly_.

"We need to hurry," she said to Hook, looking back the man as she tightened her shawl. "We haven't much time."

"Is that Regina's curse?" he asked, his eyes setting on the thick smoke as it started to engulf the edge of their view.

"It is indeed, captain," Cora replied as she looked away from Hook and towards the island before her. With a twirl of her gloved hand, they were encircled themselves in a cloud of smoke and reappeared in an open field on the island, not far from the Jolly Roger.

* * *

They stood there, side by side, watching, as the brooding smoke rose over and swallowed a hill of trees, creeping closer and closer towards them.

"I'd say now is the time to use that magical scepter of yours," Hook suggested, tilting his head slightly towards the large, spiraled stick of wood Cora held in her hand.

She continued to stand there for a moment, her gaze focused on the looming threat, until finally she nodded in agreement and slammed the magical object into the ground. A thud rippled through as a streak of bright light shot out from from the stick and streamed straight above them. It flowed and spiraled out, before cascading into a large, magical dome around the cluster of island where they were.

Cora sucked in sharply as the barrier formed, as the wind her magical barrier had caused blew against her face, her eyes brightened and a feeling like no other flooded through her body. It numbed her for only a slight second, before she regained her composure.

She always felt such a thrill when she used magic.

A moment later the dark clouds that threatened them crashed into the dome, and reflected off of it, sliding up along the magical barrier and flowing over the protected islands.

They were safe from Regina's curse.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to reconcile with her before her curse destroys the land?" Hook asked suddenly, turning towards her. He didn't understand why Cora hadn't just made up with her daughter earlier, and then they could've avoided all of this.

And he would be one step closer to finally killing that crocodile.

"Regina doesn't need me," Cora said, shaking her head, her eyes still focused on the curse that had just passed over them. "Not now. Not when she thinks she's about to win."

The memory of what Regina had said to her over her coffin played again in her mind. Y _our grip on my heart is just too strong..._ She was her daughter's weakness. Regina still loved her, despite everything that had happened, and Cora wasn't going to lose control of that. Not this time.

But she had to wait till the moment was right to act on it.

"But I still have a place in her heart," she added after a moment.

She could sense Hook's impatience, however.

"And the curse won't last forever, it will end," Cora continued, remembering what Rumplestiltskin had told her about the curse. "In 28 years there'll be a savior, and she will break it."

" _28 years?!_ " Hook interrupted, turning to the lady next to him. _He was going to have to wait 28 bloody years longer for his revenge?_

28 years waiting on an island while the man he despised lived free in another realm.

Cora's eyes met his. "You won't even notice," she smirked, "You'll be frozen. Like all those corned in this part of the land. But when the curse ends," Cora continued, "Our quest will resume."

Hook remained silent, his eyes moving back to the smoke.

"And when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything. And then'll she need me," Cora added, a smile forming from her thick red lips across her face as she thought about her reunion with her daughter.

"That's when we'll go to this new land. You'll get your revenge, and I'll… be there to pick up the pieces."

And so they both smiled and continued to watch the billowing smoke above them.

Soon, both of them would get what they wanted. Cora would be reunited with her daughter, and Captain Hook would be able to kill Rumplestiltskin.

They'd just have to wait 28 years to get it...


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Queen of Hearts

 _Queen of Hearts_ was originally a small, one-chapter story I originally wrote back in the summer of 2014. I wanted to focus on the relationship that formed between Hook and Cora after she had convinced him to turn on Regina and work for her. I felt like there was much more to the story which wasn't shown onscreen, more offscreen moments that needed to be told. Inspired by other fan fictions I had seen which were also about the offscreen moments Once Upon A Time, I decided that that's what I wanted my story to also be like. _Queen of Hearts_ was my way of doing that, and eventually it developed into something much larger than I originally planned.

I truly enjoyed writing this short, mini series of sorts about the unseen moments between Hook and Cora in Wonderland during the "Queen of Hearts" flashback. I hope you enjoyed this story as well, and thank you for coming on this journey with me!

 _Queen of Hearts_ will be the first part in a multi-fic series I am writing about the unseen/off-screen moments of Cora Mills on Once Upon A Time. The next part in this series, part two, _The Queen's Protégé_ , focuses on the mother/daughter-like relationship developed by Cora and Anastasia from Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, starting with the flashback events of OUATiW's "Heart of the Matter" and leading up to OUAT's "Queen of Hearts".

Please check it out, and thanks again everyone.

\- dashing-connoisseur.


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